Bare bones inclusivism and the implications of Romans 1:20

Abstract

This paper is a defense of Christian inclusivism – the view that there is salvation in Christ available to those who never explicitly embrace Christianity. This defense progresses in two steps. First I identify what I call ‘Bare Bones Inclusivism,’ a sort of ‘stripped down’ model of the doctrine that commits only to the essential claim of the view, without commitment – explicit or implicit – to any of the positions that are so often understood as codicils or corollaries of inclusivism. Second I offer an argument for Bare Bones Inclusivism that is motivated by a passage most often associated with Christian exclusivism – Romans 1:20. I use this verse to defend the key premise of my argument – that the condemnation of the unevangelized is justified only if they have not responded appropriately to general revelation. I close with responses to a couple of key objections that have been raised against my argument.